Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,459,080 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 132,189 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $236,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter worth $765,000. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 19.1% during the first quarter. Beaird Harris Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,778 shares of the company’s stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 446 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 4.9% in the first quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,051 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,488,000 after acquiring an additional 1,033 shares in the last quarter. QVR LLC bought a new position in Johnson & Johnson during the 1st quarter worth about $478,000. Finally, Lavaca Capital LLC increased its position in Johnson & Johnson by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. Lavaca Capital LLC now owns 6,418 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,015,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. 69.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 5,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.06, for a total transaction of $930,113.10. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,973 shares in the company, valued at $3,131,683.38. This trade represents a 22.90 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JNJ has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Johnson & Johnson from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, September 14th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $178.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $215.00 target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $163.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Johnson & Johnson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $175.94.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Performance

Shares of JNJ opened at $155.14 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $160.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $373.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.53. Johnson & Johnson has a one year low of $143.13 and a one year high of $168.85.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $22.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.17 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 35.45% and a net margin of 19.14%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 9.93 EPS for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 71.78%.

Johnson & Johnson Profile

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, researches, develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field worldwide. The company's Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as immunology, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis; infectious diseases comprising HIV/AIDS; neuroscience, consisting of mood disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and schizophrenia; oncology, such as prostate cancer, hematologic malignancies, lung cancer, and bladder cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, including thrombosis, diabetes, and macular degeneration; and pulmonary hypertension comprising pulmonary arterial hypertension through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use.